


Why Did It Have To Be Me?

by jennisnotokay



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mamma Mia inspired, Multi, Pining, hyunggu is a serial heartbreaker, jinho is the voice of reason, kino centric, slight mentions of homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-12 09:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17465186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennisnotokay/pseuds/jennisnotokay
Summary: It was meant to be a means at experiencing the world so he could write the book he wanted to write. Three cities in three months. Three chances at love. Hyunggu may find more than he bargained for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I FINALLY watched Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and to say the least, I'm obsessed, so I was thinking... Hyunggu as Donna, Wooseok as Harry, Shinwon as Bill and Yuto as Sam and from there, this mess was born. Of course, I have 12 other YuKi fics in the works, but this one was fueled by the fact I keep watching this movie (and yes, I'm watching it at the second I'm writing this). 
> 
> I decided not to tag the other two ships and add other characters because they aren't in it yet, so not to disappoint anyone who came for that specific ship. Hopefully, that is a smart choice.
> 
> First chapter is about Hyunggu and Wooseok.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! Please leave me comments and kudos!
> 
> P.S. I named it after my favorite song from the movie. I could have named it Andante, Andante, but I felt like the song Bill sang just fit the idea behind this a lot better.

“Seriously?”

Hyunggu grinned ear to ear, “Seriously.”

Jinho frowned, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at the other, “Do you even have the money to do this?”

“Not a lot of money, but I’ve been saving. I want to experience life and how can I do that living my life like this? Wake up, go to work, go home, go to sleep, rinse and repeat. I’m getting nowhere with this book,” Hyunggu pointed out with a smile. He sighed, reaching his hands out to his brother, “I need to do this, hyung. Can’t you just be happy for me?”

“I am,” Jinho assured, taking Hyunggu’s hands in his own, “I am, but… you’re my brother. I helped raise you after mom married dad. You were just this little thing and now… you’re leaving. I can’t imagine not having you annoying me and Hongseok every day.”

Hyunggu knew the other wasn’t going to be totally thrilled about all of this, but Hyunggu wanted this. It was crazy, he knew that, but he had to go. He had been working on this book for longer than he can remember and he was getting nowhere. Endless writer's block, constant rewriting, and editing and it still wasn't what he wanted. He realized the problem then. How can he write about a character larger than life and falling in love if he’s never done anything like that? He wanted to experience life in the craziest way he could think of. Then he watched a dozen romance movies and he came up with the perfect plan. A couple of months of just living his life to the fullest in the places he always wanted to see. He couldn’t imagine anything better. He wanted to eat new foods and meet new people. Maybe fall in love and break some hearts, but that wasn't the goal, of course, but when you're traveling, anything and everything was possible. Come what may, he was going to experience life. 

There was a soft smile on his lips, “I have to do this. It’ll only be for a little while. I’ll come back.”

Jinho pouted, reaching up and pinching Hyunggu’s cheek. The other laughed, swatting the hands away, but those hands held his face in this calming way. Jinho always did that to make Hyunggu focus when he was crying or upset. Jinho was Hyunggu's rock. Saying goodbye, even for a little while, was going to be really hard.

Hyunggu rested his hands against Jinho’s, a bright and toothy smile as he looked at the other. Jinho smiled back, “I’m gonna miss you like crazy.”

Hyunggu could have teared up, but he held it in, “I’ll be back before you know it, hyung.”

\--

Hyunggu was giddy as he stepped off the plane into New York City. He was in America. He was actually in America and for the next three weeks, he was going to live as an American would. He wanted to cry with excitement. This was the dream. The Big Apple was one of the places on his list of places he wanted to go and while it wasn't the most expensive on his places, he couldn't pass up the chance to see the city. 

He went to baggage claim and got his bag. He wanted to take the subway. He kind of had to since it was cheaper than a taxi. He did plenty of research and he knew English, so he wasn’t worried about getting lost. Even if he did get lost, that was the adventure he wanted.

It was definitely busy for a spring day in April. Stepping off the subway and making his way up to the surface, he was giddy with excitement. This was really New York City. He tugged his bag behind him, his eyes on his phone as he tried to follow the navigation app on his phone to the place he would be staying. He opted to stay in the home of someone who offered their extra rooms to travelers. Hotels were boring and far more expensive and the thought of having a family while he was in New York City seemed like a better option. 

He was so focused on his phone, he missed the guy coming right at him on a skateboard until it was too late.

His phone went flying and he fell back on his behind. His head hit the ground and it hurt, but the weight on top of him was suffocating.

He groaned as he opened his eyes, “Ow.”

“Shit, shit. Dude, I’m so sorry,” the other panicked, sitting up, “Do you have a concussion? I guess you wouldn’t know right away. Shit, I can’t afford bills right now.”

“I’m fine,” Hyunggu replied. His English was good, but his accent was still thick. He sat up, rubbing his head, “Are you okay?”

The other nodded, frowning a bit, “Uh, Yeah. You kind of broke my fall. I’m really sorry.”

The other stood up, taking Hyunggu’s hands and tugging him off the ground, “I can buy you coffee to make up for nearly killing you.”

Hyunggu laughed lightly, “I’m fine. Really. No harm was done.”

“Well, your phones a little cracked,” the other muttered, picking up the device, “I’m really sorry.”

There was a small crack on the screen, but Hyunggu didn’t care. It still worked and that was all he really cared about.

Finally feeling a bit better, he took a look at the other male. He was tall, a good size difference between him and Hyunggu. He had a handsome face, but still kinda cute. He looked young, like Hyunggu’s age and his attire was young too. He wore a hoodie that read HARVARD in bright yellow font and he wore khaki shorts and black Chuck Taylors. He had curly black hair. He was cute in Hyunggu’s eyes.

The male smiled at him in a dorky kind of way, like he heard a really bad joke, but still found it a little funny. Hyunggu smiled back.

“I’m Wooseok. Are you Korean?” He held out his hand.

“Hyunggu and yeah, I am,” Hyunggu took Wooseok’s hand.

“Cool,” Wooseok grinned, speaking in Korean now, “So glad my mom made sure I knew Korean so I could talk to a cute boy.”

Hyunggu could only giggle at that.

—

“So I’m telling Justin, as a society, we’ve stopped evolving. Theoretically, survival of the fittest still fit, but we wouldn’t survive if robots or aliens take over,” Wooseok went on, following behind Hyunggu.

Hyunggu turned to look at Wooseok through the glass of the case he was looking at, “You’re kind of a dork.”

Wooseok blushed, scratching the back of his head, “S-Sorry.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

The taller male gave Hyunggu a curious look as if it just hit him that Hyunggu was flirting. The other was a dork, but he was cute.

Despite the obvious boredom in Wooseok’s face, he offered to show him around the city and Hyunggu’s first stop was the museums. He had a month to enjoy as much as he wanted. The structures come later then comes living like a local. Wooseok offered to be his guide for the whole month.

To say the least, Wooseok really wasn’t the kind of guy Hyunggu would usually go for. He was sweet, there was doubt. He was a really sweet guy who held the door open and complemented Hyunggu often which he liked, but he was a giant dork. It was cute the way he went on about video games and music and whatever TV show was his favorite at the moment. He also loved memes, which Hyunggu understood but American memes were so different compared to Korean ones.

Still Wooseok was the first person he met in the states, other than the nice family he was staying with. Wooseok didn't have to spend time with him. It was his decision and Hyunggu made it clear that Wooseok was free to go where he wanted. He wouldn't hurt Hyunggu's feelings, but Wooseok reminded him that New York City wasn't always the safest place in the world. Wooseok was lanky, but he was tall. He was the perfect shield. Hyunggu just rolled his eyes. 

“You said you're traveling to write a book? What’s it about?”

Hyunggu decided to walk further into the exhibit. Wooseok stopped him for a moment to take a selfie. Hyunggu grinned as he leaned against the other and smiled brightly, not minding his picture being taken.

“About finding love while traveling,” Hyunggu replied, posing for the picture.

Wooseok nearly dropped his phone, but caught it quickly, muttering a small apology. Hyunggu raised a brow, an amused expression on his face, “You okay there?”

The other offered a dorky smile, lifting the camera again “Totally. So, um, it’s like about you?”

“No, not really,” Hyunggu shrugged, walking over to a display. “But how can I write about it if I don’t experience it, you know? It’ll make it believable.”

Wooseok watched the other for a moment. When Hyunggu turned back to look at him, Wooseok smiled and made his way over to Hyunggu. Hyunggu smiled back, holding out his hand to the other, “I heard about the big blue whale. Wanna take me to it?”

The taller male stared at the hand before taking it in his own, intertwining their fingers before nodding his head dumbly, “Whatever you say.”

— 

The first week went by quickly. Wooseok was on vacation from university, but he did work to help pay for his apartment he shared with four other guys. Hyunggu spent most of his time in the city, enjoying being somewhere new. It was so amazing and Wooseok gave great advice on places to go to eat and hang out. 

He did spend a lot of his time with Wooseok. it was evident that the other was smitten with him. Hyunggu wasn’t blind. He didn’t mind the attention either.

“You’re going to break his heart.”

Hyunggu called Jinho on Skype, missing his stepbrother like crazy. He tried to as often as he could, but he did spend a lot of nights out with Wooseok. The homesickness wasn't as bad as he was expecting, but he wanted to talk to Jinho and tell him everything about his experiences. 

The younger male frowned, “I would never.”

“Oh my god, yes you would because that's what you do! You’re a serial heartbreaker,” Jinho pointed out, frowning, “Have you forgotten what you did to Seonho? He still asks about you all the time. Or that pretty exchange student? She went home early because of you! Oh! And that one kid in the fifth grade? He had to change schools because you made him cry when you checked 'no' on the 'do you like me' quiz. There was also that girl, Junghee, from your dance club. She tried to break you leg and then cried after because she felt so bad when you smiled at her and called her pretty when she cried."

Hyunggu pouted, “Hyung! Stop! This is making me feel bad.”

“But you need to hear it, Gu. It's like you fall in love really easily and when you wake up the next day, you fall out of love and find someone else,” Jinho sighed, resting his chin in his hand, “You just don’t realize the effect you have on people. You look at everyone like they are so important. I love you so much, Hyunggu, but you are. I'm not saying this to be mean, but you have a trail of broken hearts that follow you."

“I don't do it on purp-“

“I know, Hyunggu, but that feeling of having someone like you, someone who has a way of making you feel special… it’s hard for them. I’ve seen first hand what you do,” Jinho smiles softly, but it was a sad smile, it made Hyunggu feel guilty, “I know you are trying to find inspiration, but try not to hurt people along the way.”

Hyunggu didn’t realize any of this. He always was really popular with boys and girls. He always got the most chocolate on Valentine’s day. He had many boyfriends and girlfriends and they lasted a bit, but Hyunggu was never so in love he couldn’t see his life without them. He really hadn't realized how bad he left things. They always seemed like good breakups, no real backlash except for Junghee. She had a girlfriend the last Hyunggu heard.

“What should I do?”

“I’m not saying don’t have fun. If you find someone worth the time, sure, have at it but make it clear there is no chance at real love. You’ll be leaving in two weeks. Don’t hurt this kid. From the sounds of it, he’s already obsessed with you,” Jinho advised, a little pleased Hyunggu asked.

“So I can sleep with him?”

Jinho chuckled, “As long as you make it clear that is all you want from him.”

Hyunggu reared his chin on his hand and pouted, “I guess you’re right.”

“You guess? Kang Hyunggu!”

Hyunggu chuckled softly, “Relax. I’m kidding. I won’t hurt him.”

— 

Hyunggu blinked at the man standing in front of him, a bouquet of roses in his hand. He was dressed the nicest Hyunggu had ever seen. Wooseok seemed to opt for comfort rather than fancy. This was different.

“Good evening, Hyunggu.”

The shorter guessed the cryptic text to dress fancy makes more sense now. He figured it was a date and a fancy one at that, but the other was even presentable. He was actually really hot. Hyunggu didn’t hide the leering.

Wooseok was fidgety though. Obviously because and not used to doing this. That should have been a sign to nip this in the bed, but Hyunggu never went on a fancy date, one where he was given roses or had to dress nicely.

“I borrowed my roommate’s car and made reservations,” Wooseok made his voice a little deeper, but the look Hyunggu gave him caused him to clear his throat. Hyunggu took the flowers offered to him still because it was a sweet gesture. He wasn't going to tell Wooseok that roses were his least favorite flower.

“This is already really sweet,” Hyunggu said, hugging the roses to his chest, “No one has ever done this for me before.”

He never took Jinho’s advice. He didn’t make it clear that this wasn’t going to be anything. He meant to, but every time Hyunggu tried to, Wooseok said something or did something and Hyunggu was suddenly laughing or arms were around him. Wooseok knew Hyunggu was leaving, so he should know that nothing could really happen between them, right?

Hyunggu leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Wooseok’s cheek. Wooseok’s smile spread and Hyunggu couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Wow. A kiss already and this has just started,” Wooseok laughed, but instantly his face fell, “I-I don’t m-mean anything by that.”

The shorter male chuckled, elbowing Wooseok’s side gently, “It’s fine. I’d say you’re playing your cards right so far. Shall we go?”

Wooseok seemed to shut down, but he quickly rebooted and motioned for Hyunggu to go ahead. He opened the door for him too before getting in. Hyunggu could only smile.

—

Hyunggu had to cover his mouth as he laughed at Wooseok’s joke. It was so stupid, but Wooseok’s delivery was what made it so funny. The other really tried hard to make Hyunggu laugh and it was just so easy.

“I’m glad you found that funny,” Wooseok laughed, “My roommate didn’t.”

“It’s really not funny,” Hyunggu admitted. Wooseok’s face fell, but Hyunggu intertwined their fingers together. He smiled sweetly, “But you are funny and I think that’s good enough.”

That seemed to be enough for Wooseok. He smiled at Hyunggu in a very specific way that made Hyunggu think of what Jinho said.

The dinner was amazing and it the prices of the food meant anything, that place was definitely not in Wooseok’s price range, but he told Hyunggu to order whatever he wanted. Of course, both ordered the cheapest thing on the menu (salads and water, obviously). They were still hungry and just bought hot dogs from a food truck, which was still ridiculously priced, but at least they were feeling more full. 

Now they were walking around Central Park, just enjoying the slight chill in the air and each other’s company. This was better than any fancy restaurant in Hyunggu’s mind. Wooseok definitely was new at this, but Hyunggu was enjoying himself.

There was a comfortable silence for a while. Hyunggu didn’t mind, but when he looked at Wooseok, he could tell the other was thinking of something to say. Hyunggu was curious about what was going on in his head.

“Hyunggu?”

“Yes?”

Wooseok stopped them and Hyunggu turned to look at him. He was quiet again and Hyunggu smiled, trying to show that Wooseok can say what he needs to say and Hyunggu would listen. 

“Can I kiss you?”

Hyunggu barely heard him. It was so soft, but there was such a vulnerability to it that Hyunggu grabbed the sides of Wooseok’a shirt and rugged him down, kissing him.

The kiss was soft and innocent at first, Wooseok mostly unsure what to do. Hyunggu’s arms moved up and wrapped around his neck while his fingers rubbed gently at the back of Wooseok’s neck, assuring him.

Large hands were steady of his waist but tightened a bit, tugging Hyunggu closer to him. This was the type of kiss Hyunggu preferred. It wasn’t innocent anymore, but it wasn’t lewd either. Wooseok was getting far more comfortable the longer it progressed.

It lasted a bit longer before Hyunggu pulled away, needing to breathe. He looked up at Wooseok, brushing a finger against his cheek, “You mentioned… that your roommates would be out.”

Wooseok nodded his head, realization flooding in. His head nodded quicker and he tugged Hyunggu after him (gently, of course) causing Hyunggu to laugh at his eagerness.

—

Hyunggu was sitting up in the bed, the blanket wrapped around his waist partially. Wooseok’s head rested in his lap, Hyunggu's gently brushing through the taller boy’s hair. 

“Wow.”

“You keep saying that,” Hyunggu giggled.

Wooseok sat up, looking at Hyunggu and taking his hand in his bigger ones, “Because I mean it. Wow. My friends always told me sex was great, but wow. And you… wow.”

Wooseok kissed his knuckles and Hyunggu blushed, hitting Wooseok’s arm, “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Yes, cause it… was my first,” Wooseok blushed now, not making eye contact.

Hyunggu tilted his head, “With a guy?”

“With… anyone.”

The other gasped, “Are you serious? You’ve never…?”

Wooseok groaned, falling back on the bed, “You think I’m pathetic? Listen, _okay_ , I just never really had anyone interested in me and girls just tend to think I’m weird and you’ve been amazing an-“

“Wooseok, Wooseok, relax,” Hyunggu reached out and cupped his cheeks, “You’re not pathetic. I think this is kind of sweet. I hope I made it worth the wait.”

The way Wooseok looked at Hyunggu should have been a tell-tale sign that he should have listened more closely to Jinho's advice, but he decided not to think too much of it. 

The other took Hyunggu’s hands in his own, “Definitely worth the wait.”

— 

“Wooseok!”

For the last ten minutes, Hyunggu has been trying to pack, but Wooseok has made it exceedingly difficult. Every time Hyunggu put something in his bag, Wooseok took three things out.

The other pouted, holding the clothes to his chest, “One more week.”

“I can’t,” Hyunggu sighed, grabbing the items Wooseok took and refolding them, “I have obligations. I’m staying with people who offered their homes to me and it’s Paris during fashion week. I've always wanted to go."

“Sounds boring,” Wooseok mumbled, refusing to release one of Hyunggu’s hoodies, “New York is definitely better. We have Broadway and Time Square and-”

"You?" 

"Me." 

Hyunggu pulled his hoodie from Wooseok and leaned in, planting a peck on his lips, “I did enjoy seeing Dear Evan Hanson a lot though.”

Wooseok grinned and grabbed Hyunggu, pulling him down on top of him. Hyunggu laughed loudly, hitting Wooseok in the arm, “Oh my god, I have a flight in seven hours, Wooseok!”

The other didn’t let Hyunggu go, so the smaller male relented a bit, resting his arms on Wooseok’s chest, “I told you can skype me when I get back to Korea.”

“It’s not the same as seeing you and having you here,” Wooseok admitted, brushing bangs out of Hyunggu’s face. 

This was going down a dangerous path now. Even Hyunggu wasn’t blind to how bad Wooseok had it for him. He really needed to let the other down easy. The last thing he wanted was to hurt the other too much. He should have listened to Jinho more. He should have made it clear to Wooseok. Now that guilty feeling was settling in his stomach and he felt a little sick.

“Wooseok… I’m leaving,” his voice was soft, a sad look on his face.

Wooseok sat up, bringing Hyunggu with him. Hyunggu was now straddling his waist, Wooseok’s arms holding him close. Wooseok leaned in, kissing Hyunggu. It was intense. The other was far more confident now when it came to kissing. Hyunggu wasn’t disappointed, but that guilt made it feel wrong. He was a shitty person. 

The kiss ended, leaving Hyunggu breathless. Hyunggu looked at Wooseok for a moment and saw the desperation on his face. Hyunggu couldn’t think of what he could say. It seemed too cruel to tell Wooseok how it had to be, so he just hugged the other. Jinho would be so disappointed in him.

—

Wooseok refused to send Hyunggu off alone. They sat on the subway, riding it all the way to the airport. When Hyunggu tried to tell him to go before it got too hard, but Wooseok was stubborn. He wouldn't even let go of Hyunggu's hand the entire way. It was sweet the way he played with Hyunggu's rings. 

“When you’re in line for security, I’ll go.”

Hyunggu reached up and patted Wooseok’s cheek before going to check in for his flight. Once he had his boarding pass in hand and offered up his luggage, Wooseok walked him to security, their hands together again.

Once at the line, Wooseok pulled Hyunggu to him and kissed the ever-loving life out of him. Hyunggu actually felt his knees go weak, but Wooseok made sure he didn’t fall. It was kind of unfair how good at kissing Wooseok was now that he had confidence to even kiss him. It took about four tries to get Wooseok to stop asking for kisses and to just kiss him. The kiss ended after a few moments and Hyunggu could just look at him.

Before Hyunggu could speak, Wooseok held up a picture. It was one of the many pictures they took over their time together. This was one from a party they went to the day after they had sex. One of Wooseok's friends was throwing a graduation party from University and everyone was invited. While everyone else was drunk out of their minds, both of them were barely buzzed. They ended up walking back to Wooseok’s apartment and they just talked. It was actually one of the better nights they had together because it was just them talking about whatever they could think of.

Hyunggu took the picture and held it to his chest as he looked up at Wooseok with a frown, “Seokie…”

“I know… I know what you’re going to say, so just… don’t, alright?” Wooseok reached out and rested his hands on Hyunggu’s shoulders, “Just listen for a minute. Can you do that?”

The shorter male nodded his head, pouting a bit, but he kept his mouth shut, offering Wooseok the time he needed. A part of him, the part that sounded like Jinho, was telling him to not let Wooseok speak. Hyunggu had a sneaking suspicion that he shouldn't hear what the other had to say.

Wooseok took a deep breath as if trying to think of what he really wanted to say, as if maybe he rehearsed this for a while, but now at that moment, he lost it. Hyunggu reached up, touching a hand to his shoulder. Wooseok sighed.

“It seems crazy to say this, but the last three weeks with you were the best weeks of my life,” Wooseok started, his hands moving to rest on Hyunggu’s cheeks. Hyunggu tried to relax, already knowing where this was going, but Wooseok continued anyway, “When you know, you just know and I know that I won’t forget you. You were my first everything. My first time, my first kiss, my first… my first love.”

Hyunggu made a small noise, like a gasp. He tried to back away from Wooseok, but the other pulled him close, “Wooseok, I’m leaving. You can't-”

“No, no, _please_. I know it’s crazy. It really is, but I just know,” Wooseok assured, smiling now as he looked at Hyunggu, “You’re the one for me.”

Hyunggu felt awful. He really did ruin everything, didn’t he? Jinho warned him against this and now Hyunggu had a flight to catch to Paris and he had a book to write and now there was Wooseok who was head over heels for Hyunggu and Hyunggu didn’t feel the same way. The other was sweet and kind and honestly, perfect, but Hyunggu didn’t feel as strongly as the other did.

“Don’t say anything else. I can live like this and hopefully you’ll realize I’m pretty great,” Wooseok chuckled, but it got lost in his throat. It seemed like he was about to cry. Hyunggu couldn’t do this.

He finally managed to pull away from Wooseok, his own eyes tearing up a little. He didn’t do well when others cried around him and this was a lot to take in right now, “I-I have to go…”

Wooseok leaned in and kissed him again, pulling away moments later, “Have a safe flight.”

“Y-yeah,” Hyunggu mumbled, obviously disoriented. He cleared his throat as he moved away from Wooseok and moved to get into the security line. He dared to look back at Wooseok. He was standing there still, watching and wiping his face of tears. When he realized Hyunggu was looking at him, he broke out into a smile, “I love you, Hyunggu!”

There was laughing and whispering around him and Hyunggu quickly looked away and just focused on getting through security. 

Once he was through, he didn’t look back again to see if Wooseok was still there. He knew Wooseok would still be there. Hell, he probably wouldn’t leave until he saw Hyunggu’s plane take off. 

He took a deep breath as he traveled through the airport, finally making it to the gate. He sat down with a huff and glanced down at the picture of him and Wooseok that he seemed to keep holding onto. He pulled out his notebook where he was writing his story and stuffed the picture between random pages. 

Brushing a hand over his cheek to wipe his face clear of any tears, he then started writing. He had to remember why he was doing this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunggu arrives in Paris, France and meets a handsome model and spends the next month, living the best life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part three is here! I have to go back and change the tags apparently, but here is Hyunggu and Shinwon. I need to start on the next part soon. Inspiration is already waning, but I will finish this. I already know how its ends. 
> 
> As always, leave comments and kudos! 
> 
> Thank you.

“I know. I’m an awful, shitty person and I deserve to step on a lego.”

“Weird punishment for being awful, but sure,” Jinho replied. Even over the phone, Hyunggu could feel the judgment seeping through his voice. “I told you this would happen.”

Hyunggu groaned, kicking a rock that was on the road, “I know and I feel shitty. He keeps trying to video chat with me and I keep ignoring it and then sending a message an hour later that I’m busy. We’re up to three times now and I’ve been in Paris for six hours. I really did care about him and now I feel icky for enjoying myself.”

Jinho sighed on the other side, “I'm not trying to guilt you more, but can you please get out of Paris without leaving a broken heart behind?”

“I’m not doing it purpose,” Hyunggu whined, glancing around. His eyes fell on the Eiffel Tower and he sighed, “I’m in Paris…”

Jinho was quiet for a moment, “You’re in Paris.”

Hyunggu leaned against the railing and smiled, “Hyung, I wish you were here.”

“... Is it really amazing?”

“I’m staring at the Eiffel Tower and I had a crepe as soon as I got out of the airport. It’s better than amazing,” Hyunggu giggled, smiling brightly, “I think I want to live here.”

Jinho scoffed, “What’s so great about the Eiffel Tower? We have towers here in Korea. N Seoul Tower? I took you there on your sixteenth birthday.”

Hyunggu laughed loudly, “And you hated every minute of it. You know I’m kidding. I told you I’d come back.”

“Until you meet some pretty French guy in a beret and holding a baguette,” Jinho muttered, annoyed.

The other laughed again, “Why are those the only French things you can think of?”

“It’s 4 am, what do you want from me,” Jinho laughed lightly, “I have to finish my thesis, alright? Skype me tomorrow night?”

Hyunggu assured the other he’d Skype him tomorrow before he hung up. He stayed where he was, leaning against the railing as he smiled. This was amazing. He was actually in Paris, staring at the Eiffel Tower. This was a dream come true.

Of course, the sound of a camera and flash pulled him out of his thoughts.

He turned his head to see a tall male holding a camera up. Hyunggu frowned for a moment until the camera was dropped and Hyunggu realized he was staring at a beautiful man.

The other was tall - like model tall. He was also model handsome. He had to be a model. He may be the one with the camera, but Hyunggu had a running bet going on in his head in those few moments that he knew the other existed. 

Hyunggu also noticed that the other was dressed really nicely. He may not have a lot of money, but Hyunggu knew expense clothes when he saw them and he was pretty sure that camera was very high end. The guy even had long, light brown hair and a charming smirk on his lips. 

“Sorry. The lighting made you look like an angel,” the male offered, grinning ear to ear, “I must be in heaven.”

Hyunggu bursted out into a laugh. It was a bright, loud laugh that caused him to reach for the railing for support, “Does that ever work?”

The male shrugged, not the least bit upset he got a laugh, “Not usually, but I have high hopes. You laughed too. I heard laughing is the way to a man’s heart.”

“Im pretty sure saying involves cooking and not laughing, actually,” Hyunggu pointed out between giggles.

“I can’t cook for shit, so that won’t work,” the beautiful man laughed, “Humor will have to do.”

Hyunggu’s laughter died down, but he smiled brightly. He bit his lip as he looked at the other, “You could tell me I look like an angel again too.”

The male smirked, “I’ll tell you anything you want to hear.”

\--

The beautiful model was named Ko Shinwon and he was actually a model. He was also a photographer, a fashion designer, a composer, and a pianist. He was funny and definitely a charmer. He had an array of shitty pick-up lines that had Hyunggu busting at the gut in laughter. The jokes were so awful, but every one of them was uttered with such sincerity and with such perfect timing that Hyunggu nearly had his latte come out of his nose.

“Oh god, please, please stop. My nose burns,” Hyunggu struggled to breathe, his hands over his mouth to stop himself from being obnoxious. He had the loudest laugh.

Shinwon was smiling ear to ear, “Making you laugh is the goal, remember?”

Hyunggu finally calmed down, only minor giggles left. He looked over st the other, smiling, “You’re doing a great job.”

The taller male leaned forward and Hyunggu did the same. They were have a small battle of who would break first, having an intense staring contest.

It was Shinwon who broke first and Hyunggu grinned, pretending to wave at a cheering crowd until Shinwon took his head. 

“So. You have three weeks in the city of love,” Shinwon started, “I say let’s make sure you have a great time.”

Hyunggu was seeing his life flash before his eyes and all the people he hurt, especially Wooseok, “Shinwon, I don’t want to hurt you. I’m not looking for a relationship-“

“A relationship,” the other male laughed, “Good god, no. Totally meant something easy and where both parties get something out of it and pants may be removed. Plus I need arm candy and as I’ve stated, I just enjoy looking at you.” 

“You’re very forward. I appreciate the compliments, but I’m not that type of guy. I don’t just sleep with random people, even a model,” Hyunggu retorted, rolling his eyes, “I’m not usually that person, alright? What do you take me for?”

Shinwon hummed, “An angel looking for a little adventure and a fun affair with a very handsome model in Paris. Put that in your book. It’ll write itself.”

Hyunggu eyed the other with a smirk, “You could at least buy me dinner first.”

“Deal.”

—

“Holy shit.”

Hyunggu was backstage of the fashion show. Shinwon was amazing. He introduced Hyunggu to models and fashion designers and all these celebrities.

He was staring at an outfit worth more than everything Hyunggu owned and Jinho’s combined. Maybe even their parents and their parents.

“There is no way in hell I’m wearing that.”

Shinwon pouted, “But it’ll look so good on you.”

“Well, duh, but it’s fucking Louis Vuitton. I can’t even begin to afford this,” Hyunggu hesitated, reaching out with gentle fingers to touch the shirt. It felt so nice. He dreamed of wearing something like this. 

The model laughed, moving around Hyunggu and wrapping his arms around the other to hold the outfit in front of Hyunggu so he could see what it would be like to see the other on the outfit, “That’s why you’re going to borrow it for the day. You can’t go out there in your clothes, no matter how cute you may look in your outfit. I have a rep unfortunately and while I’d prefer your clothes off, this will do.”

Hyunggu elbowed Shinwon lightly, but he carefully took hold of the outfit, holding it up to himself. He would look so good in this.

He looked at Shinwon through the mirror, “I can really wear this?”

“I’ll be offended if you didn’t.”

—

The week went by far too quickly for Hyunggu and having to say goodbye to amazing outfits actually hurt a while. He got to wear five very expensive outfits from the best fashion designers that ever existed and he wouldn’t have been able to do any of that. 

Hyunggu was in Shinwon’s hotel room, drying his hair in the bathroom, the door opened, “I can’t believe I met Naomi Campbell. She’s beautiful. Did you hear her call me cute? Ugh, I can’t believe Naomi Campbell called me cute.”

“I call you cute all the time,” Shinwon called from the couch. “You never gush about me.”

The shorter male came from the bathroom, robe wrapped around him. He was still drying his hair, “Yeah, but I’d be concerned if you didn’t think I was cute. You’ve seen me naked.”

“It’s a high honor,” Shinwon grinned, grabbing Hyunggu as he got closer, tugging the male into his lap. Hyunggu laughed loudly, hitting Shinwon’s arm.

His eyes fell on the notebook on the table, he sat up quickly, “Did you read that?”

“No, it fell out of your bag and I just put it on the table. I saw the picture. The guy is yummy. Boyfriend?”

Hyunggu groaned, leaning back against Shinwon, “No, a broken heart I left behind because I’m an awful human.”

Shinwon reaches up, running his fingers through Hyunggu’s hair. The younger male sighed happily, leaning greedily into the feeling. 

“You’re not awful. Humans by nature shouldn’t be monogamous. It’s so boring. Why date when you can have-“

“An affair?”

“Exactly,” Shinwon smiled, “Don’t judge me. I’m young and handsome and who knows for how long. Gotta get my kicks while I still can.”

Hyunggu chuckled, “I can’t exactly judge you, but is it weird I want romance? I mean, he took me out on a date he couldn’t afford because he thought I’d love it and that I deserved that. He held door opens and always asked permission to kiss me. Wel, he did at first and he was a virgin-“

“You’re kidding?!”

“No! Unbelievable, right?” Hyunggu turned to look at Shinwon.

Shinwon has his mouth open, shocked as he reached for the picture from the book to look at the male they were talking about, “Did he buy you roses?”

“Yes,” Hyunggu squeaked, burying his face in Shinwon’s robe.

“Damn. He can buy me roses any time.”

Hyunggu laughed loudly, smacking Shinwon’s arm, “Shinwon!”

The other laughed, “Sorry, but he’d make me change my mind on the whole one guy for the rest of my life thing.”

“Really?”

“It’ll be really hard, but I’d try,” Shinwon offered.

Hyunggu just laughed.

—

“Please! Just one more picture!”

Shinwon scoffed, “What’s funny is I’m a model and I don’t take as many pictures as you.”

Hyunggu lightly hit Shinwon’s arm, “Come on!”

The older male sighed dramatically before taking a few steps back. He lifted his camera and watched as Hyunggu posted in front of the Eiffel Tower. Of course, Shinwon took more than just one more picture. Hyunggu was definitely meant to be in front of a camera.

Hyunggu made his way over, resting his cheek against Shinwon’s arm as he looked through the pictures, “Oh, I like that one. I’m so good looking… spend time with you has rubbed off. I’m not this narcissistic usually.”

“Pft. You are actually. You’re just more voca,” Shinwon stuffed his camera back in the bag before wrapping his arms around Hyunggu’s waist. Hyunggu’s back was against Shinwon’s chest and their eyes were on the tower in front of them. 

The smaller male sighed, “I’m going to miss Paris.”

“Japan is next, right?”

“Yep,” Hyunggu smiled, “I figured I’d go there last because it’s closer to home.”

Shinwon’s head rested on Hyunggu’s head, a cute beret on the smaller male’s head (Shinwon thought it for Hyunggu’s aesthetic of boy next door). 

Hyunggu hummed softly, “This is nice. A little domestic, but nice.”

“You know what would make this night even nicer? A date.”

“You’ve gone soft on me,” Hyunggu glanced up at the other, “What happened to a love affair in Paris that ends when I leave.”

Shinwon scoffed, “Please. Your cute cheeks and supple lips can not tame me yet, Kang Hyunggu. However, you leave in a week. I think we can manage an actual date. I can actually afford fancy food.”

“I’d rather just go to a cheap mom and pop restaurant,” Hyunggu pouted. 

“Even better.”

—

“Your phone kept buzzing. I answered it.”

Hyunggu paused his cooking to look back at Shinwon, “What?”

Shinwon shrugged, “Wooseok called three times. I got annoyed, so I answered it. Tried to flirt with him. He seemed upset.”

The smaller male groaned, “Shinwon!”

“Sorry. I tried explain to me were just fooling around. He didn’t like my “you could join us” comment all too much,” Shinwon pouted, “Don’t give me that look. You were stringing the kid along. I may have ended it for you.”

Hyunggu ran for his phone and looked at his phone records. Wooseok had been trying to call him. He felt awful, “I have to call him, don’t I?”

“I’m not exactly Jiminy Cricket, though do you think I could pull off a top hat?”

The pillow to the face was well deserved.

—

“So… a model.”

Hyunggu pouted at the screen, “I sense judgement.”

Jinho rested his chin on his hand, shrugging his shoulders just a bit, “Not so much judgement as confusion. You don’t really do friends with benefits. Including Wooseok, you’ve slept with like three people, right? All the other people you dated were just dates. Or baby sitting Seonho.”

“His little puppy dog crush was so cute,” Hyunggu smiled, “He used to draw me pictures. I think I still have some.”

“He’s got a girlfriend now.”

Hyunggu gasped, “I can’t believe him!”

Jinho laughed, “Shut up and tell me about model boy.”

“His name is Ko Shinwon and yes, he’s a mode, but he does a lot of other things to. He designs clothes and he’s a photographer and he can play the piano. He’s tall and handsome and funny. Total flirt though. Our love would never last,” Hyunggu sighed dramatically.

Jinho snorted, “You’re so dramatic, but speaking of love. How is Wooseok?”

Hyunggu frowned, “He stopped calling me because he thinks I’m with Shinwon.”

“Oh god.”

“Yep. I tried calling him four times but he won’t answer. Why am I’m an awful person? I’m usually really great,” Hyunggu whined, “What do I do?”

Jinho rowned, “Leave it?”

“Hyung!”

“Hyunggu, this kid’s heart is broken. Your model booty buddy made sure of that. Maybe count your blessings,” Jinho shrugged, “Maybe in the future, this can all be cleared up, but for right now, you only want to clear up your own guilt. Let him be mad at you. It’ll do you some good. ”

Hyunggu didn’t like that. He didn’t like being feeling this guilty. He wanted to explain everything to Wooseok, but Wooseok wouldn’t answer his call. It was selfish. He wanted to talk to Wooseok to make himself feel better, but Wooseok had been so kind and sweet to him. Hyunggu wished he could have been better.

The younger male sighed, “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

“I’m not the one you hurt,” Jinho reminded.

Hyunggu deserved that.

\--

Shinwon held off traveling to Milan to finish the last week with Hyunggu. They managed to find flights leaving around the same time. Hyunggu left an hour after Shinwon takes off, but they still stayed together for a bit until Shinwon really had to go.

Hyunggu wrapped his arms around Shinwon’s waist and rested his head against the taller male’s chest, “I’m gonna miss you.”

“Too domestic.”

“Shut up. I’m being serious,” Hyunggu pouted up at him.

Shinwon smiled, “I know.”

They hugged for several more moments before Shinwon’s flight was calling for first class (because of course, he was first class, though to be fair, Shinwon got Hyunggu upgraded on his own flight).

Shinwon smiled down at Hyunggu before ruffling his hair, “You got my number and a lovely picture of the both of us. You won’t be able to get rid of me.”

Hyunggu smiled, scrunching his nose, “Promise?”

The taller male leaned down and kissed Hyunggu’s nose, “Promise.”

He stood off to the side, watching Shinwon get on the plane. The other waved before stepping into the tunnel. Hyunggu waited a few moments before he started heading for his own gate, only have someone pull his arm.

Hyunggu made a small noise of surprise when he saw Shinwon. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, only to have Shinwon kiss him with far more passion than either of them were used to. Their kisses were mostly just heat. This was something else.

Shinwon pulled away and looked at Hyunggu with a strange look before he was heading back into the tunnel. Hyunggu was left dumbfounded.

Finally convincing himself to move, he made his way to his gate, falling into an empty seat. He pulled out the picture of the two of them and stared at it for a moment before he stuffed it into the binds of his notebook along with the picture of him and Wooseok.

This trip was turning into a lot of trouble. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunggu finally makes it to Japan and there he meets Adachi Yuto and for the first time in a long time, Hyunggu can't be asked to listen to reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Yuto and Hyunggu. This one is longer bc it actually has some angst to it. Enjoy.
> 
> As always, leave a comment and kudos!

Hyunggu felt icky and gross when he got out of the shower. He just wanted to get to the house he was staying at and shower. He couldn’t sleep either, no matter how hard he tried. The plane trips were starting to eat away at him. At least he only had one more. 

He trudged his way out of the plane, exhausted and ready to nap as he went through the airport. The last email he got said his hostess, Akira, had some work stuff come up. Luckily her younger brother was visiting and offered to make sure Hyunggu got around okay.

There was a bunch of people waiting. He watched as families embraced and couples kissed. It was sweet. He knew Jinho and Hongseok would be waiting for him when he arrived.

As he walked by, he paused when he saw his name in Korean. He glanced at the male.

He was tall and handsome. His jawline angled and his looks sharp. He wore mostly black with some red accents. His hair was a messy kind of curly on the top of his head.

He just had to be Hyunggu’s type, didn’t he?

When the handsome man looked at him, a question in his eyes, Hyunggu made himself a promise. No getting attached to the man of his dreams. Japan was going to be strictly business.

The man made his way over to Hyunggu. He stood in front of the other and had a nervous look, “Are you… Hyunggu?”

Hyunggu raised a brow at the use of Korean. It was unsure, but correct at least.

He guessed he didn’t say anything for too long and the other seemed to back away, but Hyunggu reached out, grabbing the wrist, “Yes, I’m Hyunggu. Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to speak Korean.”

Of course, Hyunggu knew Japanese. Other than English, Japanese was his best language. He used Korean with Shinwon and with Wooseok. It would be nice to exclusively test his Japanese.

Relief welled in the other male. He sighed, a small shy smile on his face, “Good. I was worried I just embarrassed myself in front of random stranger. I’m Adachi Yuto. Akira is my sister.”

Hyunggu smiled up at him, “If I wasn’t Hyunggu, I’d be very disappointed.”

“Why?”

“Who doesn’t want a cute guy waiting for them?”

Hyunggu still had the male’s wrist as he looked up at the other. The flush that spread on Yuto’s face was so cute, “S-shall w-we go?”

Finally releasing the other, Hyunggu nodded. Yuto took his suitcase and Yuto headed for the exit. Hyunggu followed behind him, scolding himself for flirting with the handsome Adachi Yuto.

— 

“He’s gorgeous!”

Jinho stared, “You must have been very good in your past life to manage to run into the cutest dork, a gorgeous model and a handsome Japanese boy. This is just bullshit.”

“Hongseok hyung is hot,” Hyunggu pointed out, “He could bench press Yuto for sure. Definitely Wooseok. He’d snap like a twig. Shinwon works out, but he doesn’t like to.”

Jinho sighed, “That’s true. My man does have muscles like Wolverine.”

“Ah, Hugh Jackman,” the two brothers sighed in unison before breaking out in a laugh.

Hyunggu settled back on the bed, pulling his laptop closer to look at his brother, “This is bad though, hyung. This time it’s not the guy who is interested. It’s me. I’m interested, but before you sigh at me, I won’t do anything. I think he’s either still questioning or just scared to come out of the closet. I can’t be someone’s sexual awakening.”

Jinho tilted his head, “You were always so aware of yourself. It took me a couple years. Hongseok also knew when he was younger, but you, you’ve always been good with people and just larger than life. None of us were really surprised.”

Hyunggu smiled, “Life is too short to limit yourself, but no matter how perfect Yuto is, I’m not leaving another heart behind. I’m still confused by Shinwon going full K-Drama on me and coming back to give me a kiss. He hasn’t tried calling me either.”

Jinho opened one of his textbooks, eyeing the page, “Your life _is_ a K-Drama. If you decide to sell your book to MBC, can I be cast as myself?”

“As if I’d let MBC get their hands on this book. SBS or bust.”

The two laughed again and talked a bit longer before Hyunggu finally let the other go. He was writing when Yuto knocked on the door, “Come in.”

Yuto slowly pushed the door in and peeked his head in, “I made some ramen, if you’re hungry.”

Hyunggu was up within moments and crossed the distance in quick strides, “How did you know I was starving? You must have read my mind.”

“Maybe,” Yuto tried to smile, but Hyunggu was really close. Hyunggu was trying not to cause trouble, but he could have a little fun, right?

—

“Baseball. Really?”

Yuto nodded as he took another bite of his ramen. He covered his mouth as he spoke, “Yeah. I’m trying for the Yomiuri Giants. Do you not like sports?”

“I don’t hate sports. I was always a dancer myself, but I can be sporty. I saw a Doosan Bear player at Lotte once. My brother’s boyfriend got his autograph,” Hyunggu shrugged easily.

Yuto choked, coughing, “B-boyfriend?”

Hyunggu wasn’t surprised by the reaction. He said that specifically to test Yuto’s reaction. He nodded his head, his chin on his hand as he eyed Yuto across the table, “Do you have an issue with that?”

“No! No…, I just never met anyone who was… or knew anyone who was….”

“Gay?” Hyunggu finished for him and smiled, “Well, they are very happy. I think Hongseok will propose to my brother soon. I have high hopes. I hope I have a cute boy on my arm by then.”

Yuto froze for a moment, “You…?”

Hyunggu smiled sweetly, “Mhm.”

There was a pregnant pause before Yuto spoke up, soft and unsure, “When did you know?”

The male thought for a moment, “I’m not sure. Seems too easy to say I always knew, but I came out around when I was twelve. Just after mine and Jinho’s mom and dad decided to get married. I still like girls, by the way. Gender is such a lame concept anyway.”

Yuto listened, frowning down at his bowl of ramen. It was just soup now, all the little bits gone. He seemed to be in deep thought. Hyunggu didn’t want to say anything wrong, but he had a small feeling he understood what was going on in Yuto’s head.

“Your parents are fine with it?”

“Mhm. Not at first, but I’m their kid, so they learned to deal with it. They said later they always knew,” Hyunggu nodded, smiling softly, “It takes time. They realized I was still the same person, everything was just… out in the open. No more hiding or pretending.”

Yuto looked up at Hyunggu and they stared at each other for a moment, “I haven’t told anyone…”

Hyunggu reached a hand out, his palm open towards the other, “You’re telling me.”

The taller male eyed the hand for a moment before slowly resting his hand on top of Hyunggu’s. Hyunggu wasn’t cheesy enough to believe in electricity when touching another person, but Yuto’s hand was warm and while there were calluses from playing baseball, they still had a softness to them.

Tempting fate, Hyunggu twisted their hands so their fingers were now intertwined. He was worried at first, but as he looked at the wonder in Yuto’s eyes and the blush on his cheeks, he allowed his selfishness take over. He knew he said he wouldn’t try anything, but he was starting to like the guy. He was perfect.

“See. Not so scary, right?”

“I’m terrified,” Yuto breathed, but he still smiled at Hyunggu. Hyunggu could only smile back.

—

Hyunggu frowned up at the other, “I don’t like the helmet.”

Yuto chuckled, “It’ll protect your head. You don’t want to be hit in the head with a baseball coming at you at high speed. Trust me. Besides, you said you wanted to try playing baseball.”

He did say that. To be fair, he figured it would be the two of them throwing a ball around and hitting it and they’d have a cute rom-com moment where Yuto hugged his waist and held his hands to try and angle the shot, but no luck. The whole ‘not trying anything’ had definitely be replaced with ‘more cute moments with the sporty Japanese boy’.

The shorter male pouted, “It’s not even a cute helmet.”

“I’m sorry the one with flames doesn’t fit you. it’s for children,” Yuto pointed out, coming up to Hyunggu and fixing his helmet, “Okay, turn.”

Hyunggu did as he was told and he felt hands on his hips, “Take a step to your right.”

He did.

Hands moved to his wrists, pulling it into position in the bat, “Okay, this hand should always be above the other. This one should be doing most of the work.”

He felt Yuto’s front against his back. Hyunggu had wanted this, but he felt himself blushing. He was still giddy with the fact this was sort of going the way he wanted. 

Yuto’s hands rested above his own. He started to move Hyunggu’s arms, as if hitting a ball, “Like this. Let you knees move with the swing.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah, perfect.”

Hyunggu dared look up at the other and Yuto looked back. It was so cliche that he could he almost hear Jinho gagging, but the blush on Yuto’s face was worth it. What was disappointing was that Yuto pulled away. He cleared his throat, “Wanna try a few shots? It’ll be ten and I’ll pick the beginner option so it won’t come as fast. It’ll flash a light before a ball comes shooting out. Easy, right?”

Easy, Hyunggu rolled his eyes. He nodded anyways, getting into position, “Okay.”

He managed to hit three balls out of ten. Yuto grinned from behind the gate, “You’ve never done it before, so three is good.”

“Yeah, Yeah. Can you hit all ten?”

“I’d hope so,” Yuto replied, smiling.

Hyunggu stuck his fingers through the fence right beside Yuto’s hands. They looked at each other through the linked fence. Hyunggu’s eyes were mischievous, “If you miss one, can I get you to do something you’d normally never do?”

Yuto seemed unsure as soon as Hyunggu finished, “What would you make me do?”

Hyunggu really hoped that Yuto didn’t think the worst of him, “It’s nothing too weird, promise. PG-13.”

Yuto wasn’t sure, but he nodded and the two traded places. Hyunggu found out really quickly that watching Yuto swing a bat was actually really great. He wore a t-shirt and tight jeans and Hyunggu could see all the muscles move. He rested his forehead against the fence, sighing. Life was too cruel.

“I win.”

“Huh?”

Snapping out of his leering, he met Yuto’s eyes through the chain link fence, “What?”

“I hit all ten. Were you even watching?”

“Yes,” which wasn’t technically a lie. The other didn’t clarify _what_ Hyunggu was watching. Hyunggu stilled whined, “Aw, come on. This isn’t fair. You’re like a future Hall of Famer.”

“Thank you.”

Hyunggu frowned, “New bet?”

Yuto chuckled, “What?”

“If I can hit five, you have to learn something I’m good at,” Hyunggu offered. 

The other agreed easily, which offended Hyunggu a bit and made him want to do better than five. He was still given the beginner handicap at least. He switched places with Yuto again and this time, he had a fire. 

He missed the first two, but slowly got the rhythm and he hit six, just like he wanted. Hyunggu cheered, bouncing on his feet. He turned and pointed at Yuto, “Now comes the real fun.”

“Are you going to teach how to write or be charming?” Yuto questioned as Hyunggu came out of the batting cage. He reached out and pulled the helmet off the other.

Hyunggu thanked him, but shook his head, “Nope. I have many skills, but I think I have one you’re not ready for.”

—

“This is a dance studio.”

Hyunggu was sitting on the floor, his legs wide as he stretched, grabbing one foot and leaning towards it. He motioned for Yuto to sit, “Yep. Stretch.”

Yuto frowned, sitting down and following Hyunggu’s instructions. He was used to stretching for baseball, but Hyunggu was far more through. He was certain he stretched some muscles he didn’t know he had.

“I thought you were a writer?”

“I am. I wanted to be an idol for a bit. I gave that up though in order to write,” Hyunggu explainer, “Well, technically, I am an editor for a book company, but I got sick of reading about the same things over and over, so I’m here to write my own book. Doesn’t mean I can’t dance.”

Yuto nodded his head, humming a bit as he stretched. After a bit, Hyunggu was up, “Okay, you ready?”

“No… show me something first.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“Not for a second.”

Hyunggu grinned, “Smart.”

Agreeing, Hyunggu opted to show short samples of what he could; hip-hop, girl group, sexy and soulful. He was barely sweating when he made it through, but he only did small parts of songs anyway.

He kept his eyes on Yuto as he danced, especially during the sexy dance, just to see his reaction. Yuto seemed to be enjoying it. He felt pleased with himself.

He turned to Yuto and rested his hands on his hips, not being able to hide how proud he was. Even with nearly two months of not dancing, he still had it. It was such good exercise too, “So… still don’t trust me?”

The other was silent for a moment, but he pushed himself up, “Okay, when it comes to dancing, I trust you.”

“Good. Which do you want to learn?”

“The… sexy one.”

Hyunggu grinned ear to ear, “Perfect choice.”

After couple hours of practice, the two were exhausted. Yuto was sitting with his knee up, his hands on the ground behind him. Hyunggu was lying on the floor, his eyes closed and his limbs spread out. 

“You managed to get it down,” Hyunggu spoke up, pushing himself up on his hands. He was in front of the other, so they were looking at each other.

Yuto smiled tiredly, “You made sure I did.”

“It was fun, right?”

“I’m exhausted,” Yuto replied with a soft laugh, “But it was fun. Thank you.”

Hyunggu smiled, “Welcome.”

The two were quiet as they tried to even out their breathing and stay hydrated with their water. Hyunggu let sneaking peeks at Yuto, but the other always caught him.

Yuto finally laughed, “What?”

The shorter male pulled his knees against his chest, “I leave in two weeks.”

“Yeah,” Yuto wasn’t laughing anymore. He looked at the other with a frown, “Why are you bringing that up?”

Hyunggu scooted closer, so there was only about a few feet between them. He chewed on his bottom lip, “Will you kiss me before the two weeks is up?”

A blush spread on Yuto’s face, “H-Hyunggu… it’s not that-“

“It’s fine. Ignore what I said,” Hyunggu stood up and smiled, pretending that the rejection didn’t hurt. He wasn’t going to let it show. He should have known better. He should take his own advice and not push the issue. 

“Hyunggu…”

The male reached out to Yuto with both hands, “Up, up. I’m teaching you one girl group dance or I won’t be happy.”

Yuto was frowning at him, but Hyunggu shook his head, urging the other up by wiggling his fingers at him and pouting. Yuto sighed as he took the hands, allowing Hyunggu to pull him up.

When he was up, Hyunggu tried to pull away, but Yuto held his hands. They stared at each other for a long moment before Yuto leaned in. Hyunggu felt a soft pressure against the corner of his lips before he was being spun in a circle. He broke out into a fit of giggles and planted his face into Yuto’s chest. 

That was enough for now.

— 

Hyunggu raised a brow at the scene in front of him. Yuto had had plans that day, so Hyunggu had taken the subway to go around the city and enjoy some time exploring Tokyo. It had been lonely for most of it, but Hyunggu was such a people person that he made some friends.

It was nearly nine when Hyunggu finally came back to Akira’s home. He hadn’t expected flower petals all over the floor. They weren’t roses, thankfully. They looked like tulip petals.

He followed the trail and smiled as he made it to the kitchen. Yuto smiled as he gestured to the table full of food, “Welcome back.”

“This is… did you plan this? Did you even have a thing to do today?” Hyunggu questioned.

“I did. Tryouts for the Giants,” Yuto grinned, “And now I am the new rookie.”

Hyunggu ran to Yuto and hugged him, “That’s amazing, but why are you doing this?”

“A reward for myself. A… romantic dinner for the guy I’m kinda sorta into,” Yuto replied shyly as he looked down at Hyunggu, “When it comes to you, I don’t want to hide anymore.”

His heart swelled at that. That was probably the sweetest thing he ever heard. He scrunched his nose, “Kinda sorta?”

Yuto nodded, leaning in and kissing him - finally. It was so gentle and sweet and perfect. It was worth the wait.

The sweetness only last a bit before Yuto’s lips moved more, adding more heat. Hyunggu had his arms around Yuto’s neck and he needed to breathe but he didn’t want to pull away from this. 

Yuto gave in first, resting his forehead against Hyunggu’s, “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

A small giggle left Hyunggu’s lips, “It’s fine.”

Yuto looked at Hyunggu then at the food then back at the Hyunggu, “Are you hungry or can you wait?”

Hyunggu eyes widened, “Yuto… you don’t…”

Hands moved to hold Hyunggu’s face in his hands. He felt precious and fragile as he looked up at Yuto. Yuto wasn’t trembling or shy anymore. There was confidence in his eyes. Hyunggu felt weak to that look. 

“I can wait to eat,” Hyunggu hummed before Yuto was kissing the air out of him.

—

Yuto had ended up falling asleep, but Hyunggu was hungry. He had one of Yuto’s shirts. It barely covered his thighs, but Akira wasn’t coming back until three days before Hyunggu had to leave. He didn’t even want to think about leaving. He only wanted to think about foot

He sat at the table, munching on what Yuto made him as he looked over a book he bought while he was in the city when Yuto’s phone started to ring. It was sitting on the counter. Hyunggu quickly got up and grabbed it before running to wake up Yuto.

“Your phone,” Hyunggu held it out but you groaned and pushed it away. “Babe, you’re phone!”

“Call me babe again,” Yuto mumbled, “Just answer it. It’s probably my sister.”

Hyunggu didn’t like the idea of answering Yuto’s phone, but he did, “Hello?”

“Yuto! What the hell? We had your tux fitting and picking out a cake flavor and you bailed on me again? How are we supposed to get married if you don’t come to these things? You ignore my calls too. What is up with you?”

Hyunggu felt his body run cold. Tux fitting? Picking a cake? Marriage. 

“H-hold on.”

Hyunggu dropped the phone roughly on Yuto’s head, causing Yuto to jump up and reach for his head, “Ow.”

“Your. Fiancé.”

Hyunggu glared at the other and turned away, grabbing his clothes. Yuto blinked and scrambled for the phone, “I’ll call you back.”

He was going to head back to his room, but Yuto pushed the door shut and blocked Hyunggu’s wait, “Hyunggu! Please let me explain!”

“No, you don’t need to. I think I understand perfect,” Hyunggu pushed Yuto back and pointed an accusing finger at the other, “You’re engaged to be married, Yuto! I can only assume your parents had something to do with it because why else would you marry a female when we both know you’re gay. That girl has no idea what you just did! Your parents don’t know anything and Akira… Jesus, Yuto! She calls everyday asking about you! And you lied to me. You _lied_ to me. Not telling me the truth is lying and I know I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but at least I’ve never cheated on anyone.”

Yuto stared at him for a moment, no words leaving his lips. Hyunggu had tears running down his cheeks, but his expression was fueled with anger. 

“Let go of the door, Yuto.”

“What about you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re leaving in five days. You were just going to leave me behind anyway. Why do you care?”

Hyunggu was floored. Did the other really just say that to him?

“Not that I need to explain myself, but last night was the first actual thing you’ve done to show me you have any real interest in me. You never _asked_ me what I planned to do. I can write _anywhere_ , Yuto. We could have worked something out if we thought we could really work out, but you already have a future. You have no right to push this on me,” Hyunggu scoffed, pushing Yuto again so the other had to release the door. “You’re the one who screwed everything up, Yuto. Not me.”

Yuto had no reply to that. He stayed where he was as Hyunggu left the room and trudged his way back to the room he was staying in. He slammed the door shut, locked it and sunk to the floor. He cried into his knees for the rest of the night.

—

“Yuto had to go back home,” Akira commented, “I was done with everything for work anyways. I heard he got on the team, so he probably went to spend some time with our parents and our other brother.”

Hyunggu nodded, picking at his food. Yuto had told him that through the door he was leaving and going to call Akira. He felt bad for Akira coming back early, but he didn’t want to see Yuto. He would have stayed in that room until it was time for him to go.

“Good for him,” Hyunggu mumbled.

“Did… did you two fight?”

Hyunggu sat up quickly, “Oh, no. Yuto was… great.”

Akira wasn’t convinced, but Hyunggu didn’t do a good job to assure her. She frowned, “Yuto is a reserved person. He’s not good at revealing how he feels. It’s like pulling teeth to get him to emote anything, but once he gets to know someone, he’s sweet and excitable.”

Hyunggu knew. He liked the confident side of Yuto, but that didn’t change what Yuto did. Hyunggu wasn’t big on forgiving the other, nor outing him to his sister, “I know.”

She didn’t say anything else.

—

She pulled Hyunggu into her arms, “Thank you for staying with my brother. Wish he could have been here.”

Hyunggu Hughes her back and forced a smile, “He’s busy. I understand. I’ll… message him later.”

He wasn’t going to, but she didn’t need to know that. She smiled and kissed his cheek, “Bye, Hyunggu.”

“Bye.”

He waved before heading into security. It was the same process, but a shorter flight. Usually he would have been writing on the plane, but he just stared out the window, watching Japan disappear and Korea appear. He was so glad when his plane touched down in Korea. It had been three months since he was home.

Emotionally and physically exhausted, Hyunggu made his way to baggage claim while also looking for his brother.

When he saw Jinho and Hongseok, Hyunggu broke down. He ran to the other, enveloping Jinho in a tight hug and he sobbed. Jinho pat his back, soothing him with soft words.

“Welcome home, Hyunggu.”

“I’m home.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years later, Hyunggu finally releases his novel and comes face to face with his past at his press conference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY! FINALLY DONE! I hope you enjoyed this. Please tell me what you think. <3
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH!

FIVE YEARS LATER

Hyunggu’s fingers were shaking. He sat staring at his reflection, fixing up the bit of makeup he had on. He had been waiting for this day for years. It was finally here.

After his three months traveling and enjoying his life, he started on his book. It was going to be everything he did and more. Names were changed and situations were altered, but it was inspired by the journeys he had and the people he met.

Even the one who broke his heart.

“It’s packed.”

Hyunggu turned around and looked back at his friend and agent, Hwitaek. They worked for the same company and Hwitaek was the only one willing to risk taking up his book. Now two weeks into being a New York Bestseller, Hwitaek had gotten a bit smug around the office.

Of course, he made sure to carry Hyunggu’s smugness as well. Hyunggu was modest and unbelieving. After everything, he was the best selling author. His book was translated into so many languages and there was talk of a Korean drama.

Now he was waiting for his small press conference to start. It was going to then become a book signing before he was whisked away to a grand party in his honor. 

Jinho came in, bouncing a bit as he dragged Hongseok after him, “Oh my god. I think I saw Yanan and Changgu. I can’t believe they came back to Korea for this.”

“Yeah, Yanan hyung was invited,” Hyojong commented, walking in. He was a fellow editor, but he was far more essential and only took strange book deals. He had helped Hwitaek with everything since it was Hyunggu. He even planned the party and sent out all the invites, “Hyuna is here too.”

“She’s your wife,” Hyunggu chuckled, “I’d hope she was here. Plus a high profile idol? I could use her support.”

Hyojong gave Hyunggu two thumbs up before he was out the door again, sending a look to Hongseok that didn’t go unseen by Jinho, “What was that?”

Hongseok looked at his husband with a tilt of his head, “What?”

Jinho pulled his hand away, “That look. I’ve seen you two share that look twice. One was when Hyojong convinced you to pop out of a cake and striptease for my bachelor party and the second time when Hwitaek was dating that American and you two-“

“No! We have a pact,” Hwitaek squeaked. “To the grave.”

The four in the room drew a cross over their hearts before Jinho continued, “What did you do?”

“It’s not bad. Well, it’s not that bad. Thinking about it, it could be really bad,” Hongseok coughed, his eyes on Hyunggu.

Hyunggu suddenly felt unsure, “Why are you looking at me?”

“There might be three people in the audience that you might not be… thrilled to see,” Hongseok backed away from Jinho.

Three?

It took several seconds before his eyes widened and he darted out the door. He heard footsteps behind him and Jinho called his name, but he just ran. He threw himself through the double doors, greeted by a bunch of people sitting down. All eyes were on him and cameras were flickering, he heard people saying his name, but he was focused on those behind the press.

Three people stood up as the press did and three sets of eyes fell on Hyunggu.

He backed out of the room, his eyes wide as he went into the hallway, clinging to the wall for support. He heard Hwitaek speaking to the press. He’d explain something. Hyunggu didn’t care.

Hands were on his arm, a comforting touch. He looked up at Jinho with tear-filled eyes, “All of them.”

“Yeah,” Jinho frowned, “Their faces are familiar from your pictures.”

“Jung Wooseok. Ko Shinwon. A-Adachi Yuto. They can’t be here. Why are they _here_?”

Jinho nodded again, putting Hyunggu’s head, “I know, but don’t let them steal your day. This is your day. You wrote this book. You’re a best seller.”

“Well, it is their day too. You used your stories with them to write the book,” Hongseok mumbled, elbowed instantly by Jinho, “Ow! Stop hitting me. Look, think of this like closure.”

Hyunggu looked up at Hongseok, “Closure?”

Jinho actually nodded, “That’s actually a good idea. You can use this as a means of finally putting this behind you. No more wondering if Wooseok made it through university or where Shinwon is in the world or if Yuto’s team succeeds. End this chapter of your life.”

Hyunggu did mention the three off and on and he bought any magazine he knew Shinwon was in and maybe he watched ever Giants game to see Yuto succeed. Wooseok was just a normal guy, so Hyunggu had nothing to fall back on to see him. 

Jinho wiped his cheeks, “You’re the main character, Hyunggu. You decide how this goes.”

Hwitaek came out, “Damage control done, but it’s time to go out there. You think you’ll be good to go out there?”

Hyunggu stared at the three people in front of him and smiled softly, “Yeah.”

“Good. I’ll find Hyojong. I’ll keep him warm and ready for murder,” Hwitaek smiles brightly. Hyunggu chuckled weakly, but he still allowed Hwitaek to show him back into the room.

He made his way to the podium and instantly his eyes found those three again. Shinwon was sitting next to Wooseok and Yuto was several seats away from them. Shinwon was grinning, while Wooseok looked confused. Yuto’s expression was harder to describe.

His eyes moved to Hwitaek who motioned for him to talk. He nodded and turned his eyes to the crowd, “Sorry about that. My agent, Hwitaek hyung, told me how many people and I panicked.”

Hyunggu got a few laughs, one being Shinwon. He cleared his throat, “I’m Kang Hyunggu and “It Comes in Threes” is a novel that took five years to make and what a very long five years at that.”

He glanced over to the side, making eyes with his brother. Jinho smiled, giving a thumbs up. Hongseok nodded and smiled too. Hyojong was beside Hwitaek now with his arms over his head, like he was being punished in high school. Hyunggu smiled at that. 

“The process of making this book all came from a dumb idea. I’d travel to three places and stay there for three months. I’ve always liked the number three. I don’t know why. The idea of a guy meeting three people and falling in love was something that came from… experience,” Hyunggu’s voice fell a bit after that.

There was a lot of murmuring after that. Three pairs of eyes focused in on Hyunggu, possibly wondering where he was going with this.

Hyunggu took a deep breath, “I got a lot of letters and emails after the book came out. A lot were full of hate and slurs, but I’ve put up with that my whole life. It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. I didn’t think my book would do well in Korea, but this is my home, so I wanted it released here. Then it was selling in Europe and America and suddenly, my book was everywhere and here I am today.”

He smiled then, suddenly gaining all of his confidence back. He was proud of his book and he had regrets about his time, but he still met three amazing guys who opened his eyes to many possibilities. It was five years ago now. It was time for him to get his closure.

“This did happen,” Hyunggu admitted, holding up his book and smiling, “Places were changed and names were altered. Some things I left out and some I exaggerated, but I don’t want people to miss the meaning just because it is based on something I did. I still want people to connect with it. I still want people to find the answers they’re looking for. Travel, meet new people and hell, fall in love if you get the chance because, God, it’s really great.”

He got a few laughs, including three he focused in on. He smiled, “It’s funny. I went into this thinking I put my past behind me, but it is here in front of me. I will admit, I was scared at first, but now I realize I needed this. I need to face my past and move on from it or I can’t grow anymore.”

He looked at Wooseok, the giant dork who fell in love with his first. He had shorter hair now, slicked back. He was wearing a nice shirt, no oversized hoodie in sight. He still looked tall, but bulky now. He was older for sure.

His eyes then traveled to Shinwon. He had shorter hair too and it was black, the sides buzzed slightly. He had the same shit-eating grin on his face. He was fashionably dressed which didn’t surprise Hyunggu. He was still handsome.

Then Yuto. He had an undercut, similar to Shinwon, but the mess of hair on the top was a curled mess. He looked older too, more mature. He put on some muscles too and still only wore black. His expression was softer now.

“I love my past and my regrets now,” Hyunggu admitted with a sigh, “I don’t think I’d want to change them either. I hope you won’t either.”

“I won’t! No regrets!!”

Hyunggu’s hands went his mouth when Wooseok jumped up. Everyone was startled, even Wooseok. He probably didn’t realize he’d done it. 

Shinwon stood up then, “Me either! What happens in Paris gets written about in novels, right?”

Hyunggu couldn’t believe these idiots. He laughed, his eyes prickling with tears as he looked at the two smiling at him. Five seats down, Yuto stood up and smiled, “I have one regret, but it isn’t meeting you.”

They locked eyes for a long moment before Hyunggu dropped his hands and smiled, “Wel, any questions?”

Hands shot up as the three rows of journalists begged Hyunggu to ask their questions. Hyunggu could only laugh.

—

After a hundred questions, most about the three men who the story was written about, Hyunggu was finally given a break before the book signing. He was sitting on the couch, staring off before hands waved in his face. He looked up and saw Jinho smiling at him. Hyunggu smiled back and held out his arms.

Jinho smiled and fell onto the couch. The two brothers were wrapped in a hug, Jinho’s hand rubbing up and down his back, “That went well.”

“Mixed reviews really,” Hwitaek commented as he walked in, “Initial conscious is positive. The fact you dated a famous model and baseball player is good. Wooseok apparently graduates near the top of his class too and he’s working for some record company in New York. You have good taste.”

“I meant for Hyunggu in general,” Jinho pointed out.

Hwitaek smiled, “Hyunggu can do anything.”

Hyunggu blushes at that, “I hate when you guys say that.”

The door creaked open and Hyojong peeked his head into the room, all eyes falling on him, “Can I come in?”

Hwitaek glared, “Yes and explain to Hyunggu why you did it.”

Hyojong came in followed by Hyuna, Yanan and Changgu. Hyuna grabbed Hyojong by the ear, getting a high scream out of the male before he dropped to his knees. She smiled, “Hey, babe.”

“Hi, noona,” Hyunggu greeted with a smile. Yanan and Changgu quickly moved around Hyojong and each gave Hyunggu a hug before taking some seats next to Hongseok. Hyunggu turned his eyes to Hyojong, “Go on. Explain.”

“Okay, you seemed so sad about all the stuff that happened to you and I, being such a good friend who loves you, couldn’t help but intervene,” Hyojong explained from his place on the floor, pouting a bit. Hyuna reached down and pinched his cheek roughly, “Ow! Okay, I may have also done it because I didn’t think you would and I also kind of wanted to see your face.”

Hyunggu waited a moment before he got up and moved over to Hyojong. He kneeled down and eyed the other before wrapping his arms around Hyojong’s shoulders, hugging him, “I know you did it to help me. I was freaked out at first. I’m okay now.”

Hyojong hugged Hyunggu back, “Good because they have invites to the book signing and the party.”

Instinct took over and Hyunggu pinched Hyojong as hard as he could muster. He huffed as Hyojong moved away from him, “I could kill you.”

“Don’t worry. He’s sleeping on the couch,” Hyuna assured with a shrug. At least Hyunggu felt justified. 

\--

The book signing was going well so far. He was so moved by a lot of the things people were saying. A lot of people telling him their stories and he had to grab tissues every once and a while. It was a lot to take in at once, but his heart was so full. All he could do was smile ear to ear as he spoke to every person.

Hyunggu waved off a young couple before looking up at who was next. He was only shocked for a moment before he smiled softly, “Wooseok.”

“You remember me,” the other smiled back, “I was worried.”

Naturally, Hyunggu reached out, taking Wooseok’s hand in his own, “As if I could forget you.”

They smiled at each other for a moment before Hyunggu pulled away, taking the book from Wooseok, “I heard your graduated university.”

“Huh?”

Hyunggu focused on what he was writing on the book, “My agent can find out anything. Here.”

He offered the book back and Wooseok smiled at him, “To my favorite dork? I’m not as dorky as I used to be. I’ll have you know, I’ve dated a few guys since you.”

Hyunggu giggled, “I’d hope you were still a dork. I’d be sad, but… can we talk at the party? I feel like I owe you an explanation for everything.”

“You don’t, but I’d sure love to talk to you again,” Wooseok assured. “See you, Hyunggu.”

He offered a wave and watched Wooseok leave. Hyojong was there to escort him to the party. Hyunggu went through a few more people until a book was thrust at him, “I am a famous model and I had to wait in line. Unbelievable.”

If anyone other than Ko Shinwon said that, Hyunggu would have had him kicked out, “Hello, Shinwon.”

Shinwon was smiling at him, “Hello, angel. Long time no see. Can I just say, Wooseok is far more attractive now than he was from that picture you had? He’s perfect.”

Hyunggu laughed, “Are you really going to hit on Wooseok?”

“Bold of you to assume I haven’t,” Shinwon threw back, taking the book back, “To the most handsome man in the world. Aw, Hyunggu, I knew you were smart. We’ll talk at the party, okay?”

Shinwon reached out, pressing his finger to Hyunggu’s nose. Naturally, Hyunggu scrunched his nose but waved Shinwon off anyways. The other always had a good way of making Hyunggu laugh. 

Yanan and Changgu seemed to be the one to pull Shinwon away. It got easier to speak to each person. A lot of the stress was gone, but every once in a while, he’d peek to see if Yuto was next. That was what he worried about. He wasn’t sure what he’d say or do. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about all of that, but he’d find out soon.

A book was softly placed in front of him and Hyunggu focused on the hands. No ring? He glanced up, looking up at Yuto curiously. Yuto smiled softly, “I would be sad if I didn’t get a signature from my favorite author.”

“You’re being biased,” Hyunggu commented, smiling softly. Still, he paused for a moment, still thinking about what to say before he started to write. He closed the book when he was done and held it out, “Don’t read it yet. I’ll find you at the party.”

Yuto raised a brow, but nodded his head, “I’ll wait.”

Hyunggu watched Yuto leave, sighing softly as Jinho pulled him away. He had a few more books to sign, then he would have to truly face his past. He had no idea where to even begin.

\--

“To Hyunggu!”

The room erupted in cheers and laughter as everyone toasted Hyunggu when he finally arrived at the party. He was hugging all of his friends and his brother, grinning ear to ear. A plate was shoved in his hands a moment later, Jinho offering a sympathetic look. Of course, Jinho knew he was starving. He would eat, then he would go talk to the three, one by one. He was starting to piece together what he was going to say. 

They kept their distance from what Hyunggu noticed. Shinwon and Wooseok were talking near the food. Wooseok must have been really funny because Shinwon couldn’t stop laughing, but Wooseok was laughing too and whatever Wooseok said. They seemed to get closer the more Hyunggu turned to look at them.

Yuto, however, kept to himself. He was eating while reading Hyunggu’s book. By now, he had to have read what Hyunggu wrote. Yuto would occasionally look up at Hyunggu, but when he saw Hyunggu looking, he looked away. It was upsetting at first, but Hyunggu was not going to be sad that day. It was his day.

Hyunggu reached out for Hwitaek, “Hey, I need to talk to them. Can you do me a favor?”

Hwitaek nodded, smiling, “Sure.”

\--

Hwitaek managed to get Hyunggu a conference room in the hotel. It was a little weird to talk to them in this setting, but he needed somewhere away from everyone. 

Wooseok was the first, carefully opening the door and taking a seat next to Hyunggu when the other motioned him over. Hyunggu grabbed for Wooseok’s hands, “Hey.”

“Hey.”

There was a pregnant pause before Hyunggu opened his mouth, but Wooseok beat him to it, “Before you say anything, can I say something?”

Hyunggu frowned, but nodded his head. Wooseok smiled awkwardly before taking a deep breath, “I was… devastated when Shinwon answered your phone back then. It was stupid, thinking back on it. You never even said you loved me back at the airport. You just kind of looked at me like I grew a third head.”

The shorter male bit his lip, feeling awful about that, but Wooseok shook his head, “Don’t give me that look. It’s fine. I’m not upset over it anymore, really. I was at first. I thought I’d get back at you by going on a bunch of dates with hot guys, but I chickened out and ended up eating lots of Ben and Jerry’s for weeks before it hit me. I knew you were going to leave. I knew you cared about me, I never doubted that, but I invented all of this love in my own head and just assumed you’d love me back, but I realized something else when I read your book.”

Hyunggu pouted, “What?”

“That my life is better because of you,” Wooseok smiled, “It seems weird, but Shinwon and I were talking and neither of us would be where we are if it wasn’t for you. I’d never have come out. I’d never try and experience life if you hadn’t shown me I could. I graduated from University. I work at a record label and help produce music. I’ve gone on actual dates and I even road a mechanical bull and stayed on. That’s not as important, but it was an achievement.”

Hyunggu laughed at that, pressing Wooseok’s hand to his forehead. He then held the hand to his heart, “I’m so happy that you branched out. Also the bull thing. That’s great.”

Wooseok grinned, “You were the first love of my life. My first time too. A guy never forgets his first, but even if we weren’t meant to be, I never regretted our time together. Even when I was heartbroken. Besides Shinwon keeps hitting on me and said he’d take me out, so no offense, but I may date your model, is that okay?”

“Have at it,” Hyunggu giggled. He sighed, “For what it is worth, I do love you. Just not in the way you would have wanted.”

“I’m very lovable,” Wooseok assured. 

Hyunggu laughed again, wrapping his arms tightly around Wooseok. 

\--

“Am I in trouble?”

Hyunggu rolled his eyes and beckoned Shinwon over. Just like he did with Wooseok, he took Shinwon’s hands, “Thank you for coming.”

“I knew that letter wasn’t from you,” Shinwon said, tilting his head to the side, “It wasn’t personal enough.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Hyunggu frowned, “Hyojong hyung is sentenced to the couch.”

Shinwon scoffed, “If I was married to Hyuna, she could put me anywhere.”

Hyunggu hit Shinwon’s arm and he laughed, “I’m kidding. I have a dork waiting with a piece of cake.”

“Wooseok told me he was into you,” Hyunggu smirked.

Shinwon shrugged, “He’s smart.”

Hyunggu groaned, “You’re the worst.”

“But you love me.”

Hyunggu gave Shinwon a look and the other smiled, “As a friend. And I’m sorry about the kiss at the airport. I decided I was going to be gross and kiss you because honestly, you were great. If I was better at being a person, I would have stopped you, I think.”

The shorter male smiled softly, “It was a pretty romantic kiss.”

Shinwon grinned, “I have my moments.”

Hyunggu chuckled, “You made Paris even more amazing for me. I got to wear clothes that I can almost afford now. And those crepes!”

Both sighed loudly at the memory of the most delicious crepes they both ever had. Both laughed for a moment before smiling. Shinwon pulled both of Hyunggu’s hands to his lips, kissing them, “Loving you for even a moment was an honor, my angel.”

“You’re so lame,” Hyunggu blushed.

Shinwon just grinned, “Now, time for me to get myself a dork.”

\--

When Yuto walked in, Hyunggu found himself standing. Yuto stood at the door for a moment, unsure of what to do. Hyunggu wasn’t sure either. He always imagined what he’d do if he saw Yuto. He thought about investing in a baseball bat. He thought the irony of hitting a baseball player with a bat would make him feel better, but Hyunggu couldn’t even squash a bug. He cried for three hours when he stepped on an ant hill when he was eleven. Jinho struggled to calm him down.

Eventually, Hyunggu decided this awkwardness was killing him and he chuckled before speaking in Japanese, “I’m not going to hit you. Just come here.”

Yuto nodded and moved to take a seat, Hyunggu taking a seat to. Hyunggu hesitated for a moment, but he reached out for Yuto’s hands, holding his out. Yuto’s hands were in his within seconds. Once again, he didn’t notice a ring. He didn’t want to ask. He couldn’t ask. 

“Yuto-”

“I chased you.”

The sound of Korean coming from Yuto was surprising. He knew Yuto had been studying Korean back when they met, but they had spoken mostly Japanese the entire time they were together. Hyunggu taught him some things, but they wanted to enjoy their time together so Yuto assured Hyunggu not to worry.

Hyunggu frowned, “What?”

“To the airport,” Yuto continued, “The day you left. I got a text from my sister calling me an idiot for letting you go. Traffic sucked and by the time I got there, the plane had taken off. I even bought a ticket just so I could get to you.”

This was all news to him. He stared wide-eyed, “... You chased me? … Akira-”

“She knew I was gay. She always knew and she knew I liked you. She was against the marriage more than I was, but she’d never out me. When I called her to come back home, she was furious with me. I told her what happened and she told me to go. I wanted to stay, but she told me I messed up,” Yuto explained, frowning, “I did mess up.”

Hyunggu didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. Yuto pulled his chair closer to Hyunggu, “I didn’t marry her. I was miserable for days after you were gone and I just told her I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie to anyone anymore. My parents weren’t happy, but as you said about your parents, it took time. She’s still pissed at me, but we’re better now. She was my friend before all of this. She’s married though. Two kids.”

The Korean male chuckled softly, “At least she’s happy.”

Yuto nodded, “I wanted to come to Korea. I wanted to make some big gesture, but I just signed to the Giants. I couldn’t just disappear and every time I had time off, I looked at tickets to come here, but I couldn’t do it. When your book came out, I was there to buy it. I read it a hundred times because I wanted to live viciously through the character you designed after me. He got the guy in the end.”

Hyunggu blushed at that, looking away. He suddenly felt embarrassed, but Yuto pulled his hand away, reaching out to cup Hyunggu’s cheek, forcing Hyunggu to look at him again, “Then the letter came. I had been making plans already and this was like the sign I needed to come.”

“Plans?”

Yuto pulled his hand away from Hyunggu’s face and grabbed his phone. He starting typing something before holding it up, “Announced just before your press conference.”

Hyunggu focused on the text in front of him, his eyes widening, “Yomiuri Giants ace player, Adachi Yuto, traded to the Doosan Bears hours before revealing he was Korean author, Kang Hyunggu’s former lover. Holy shit.”

“Holy shit,” Yuto chuckled, “My agent was pissed, but the Bears are actually huge fans of me and I play too well for them to turn me away.”

Hyunggu looked at the other with a dumbfounded expression, “You’re moving to Korea?”

“I’m moving to Korea,” Yuto smiled, “And maybe, we can start fresh. No secrets. Just… two people enjoying coffee?”

“Coffee?” Hyunggu scrunched his nose, “That’s the best you got?”

“What do you want?”

Hyunggu hummed for a moment before reaching out and grabbing Yuto’s shirt and pulling the other to him, kissing him square on the lips. A part of him would never let Yuto live this down, but for that moment, he was content.

\--

The two returned to the party, Yuto’s arm around his waist. They were greeted by Hyunggu’s friends, all thrilled. Jinho was instantly head over heels for Yuto. His favorite thing to do was to make Yuto flustered, which wasn’t hard. 

Mingling was easy for Hyunggu, but Yuto still was awkward and just kept to Hyunggu’s side. Every time someone asked him something about the book, Yuto would look at Hyunggu who would just smile.

By the end of the night, even Hyunggu was exhausted. Yuto was in Hyunggu’s apartment, rubbing Hyunggu’s feet. They were just talking and enjoying each other’s company.

Eventually, Yuto spoke up, “About what you wrote in the book…”

Hyunggu paused for a moment, smiling shyly, “Yeah?”

Yuto leaned forward, Hyunggu leaning in too. They shared a soft kiss before Yuto spoke up, “I still love you too.”


End file.
